Casey reflects on how Sam was won in '11
September 20, 2013
Tomas Quinn and Paul Casey celebrate with the Sam Maguire INPHO
Two years ago, Casey came off the bench at Croke Park on the magical day when Stephen Cluxton's last-gasp converted free saw the Dubs win their first All-Ireland in 16 years.
"It was a free we'd seen him kick a hundred times over the course of that summer... but there'll never be one like it again," the Lucan Sarsfields clubman writes in The Irish Independent.
"Our goalkeeper had just scored the winning point to end Dublin's 16-year wait to bring Sam Maguire back to the capital.
"Every evening arriving to training, Stephen Cluxton was out on the pitch. Every evening as we all left the field, he remained.
"As he made his way up from the Davin Stand end, we knew this was it. This was a fairytale unravelling in front of our very eyes, and to have been part of it is something that will always be special to me."
Nine minutes before Cluxton's winning intervention, it hadn't looked so good for Pat Gilroy's team:
"Sixty-three minutes on the clock, four points down against Kerry in the All-Ireland final, now we had to answer that question," Casey continues.
"Of course, what happened in those final nine minutes is history now. Heroes were born, maturity shown and questions were answered. It was fairytale stuff.
"I often wish now I could rewind the clock, be there again. David Henry grabbing me as 'Clucko' made his way back from that famous kick. 'We've won it, we've won it'.
"Seeing David Hickey run across that Croke Park pitch faster than he ever did before. But I suppose that's what makes it so special.
"It was one moment in time. History in the making. For some of us it will never be experienced again. The final chapter of our very own fairytale. Special times, special people." Tweet
